


And Triplets Make Five

by Unicron



Series: Triplets Make Five Universe [1]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Bee Comes Back To Life, COMPLETE!, M/M, Mech Preg, Sticky Sexual Interfacing, Transformer Sparklings, Transformers Spark Bonds, and those will be trigger warned in chapter notes when it happens, in previous relationships, not in the main pairing though, original sparkling characters, very light mentions of previous abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-04-28 22:31:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14459190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unicron/pseuds/Unicron
Summary: When Bumblebee comes back to life, he intends to make his relationship with Starscream official. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize his frame lacks a few modifications. Hindsight is 20/20. Update: THANK YOU FOR 100 KUDOS!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Long time TF fan, long time TF fan writer, but this is the first time I've actually posted a fic on AO3 in approximately forever. This story takes place after the Optimus Prime annual but is going to proceed to ignore the heck out of anything after it, and plays fast and loose with the canonical events of IDW prior to MTMTE and RiD begining. Then again you all are here for mechpreg so I doubt you get too mad this fic isn't canon compliant. This fic uses IDW's units of time, which have some of the same names as other continuities but different definitions. Those can be found here https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Units_of_time/Continuity#IDW_Publishing

                “He isn’t venting on his own,” a disembodied voice said.

                “Yet,” A second voice added, “Would you vent on your own if you hadn’t in years?”

                “I’m just saying he’ll overheat,” the first voice replied.

                “And that is why we have in in a cool environment during the rehab process,” the second voice said. At that statement Bumblebee realized his frame was cold which made absolutely zero sense. He didn’t get cold, or hot, or anything. Sometimes he got the sensation he used to get when his pede would fall asleep if someone unknowingly walked through him but this wasn’t that feeling.

                No, this feeling was a distinct feeling. And with that he decided to online his optics only to discover he couldn’t. He willed himself to open his optics a second time with no avail, and only on the third attempt did they flicker on for a moment. What happened?

                “He’s awake!” The first voice said. “Hey Bee, want to try to open your eyes again?”

                “What?” Bumblebee said as he attempted to power his optics on fully. He couldn’t bring himself to will them open but eventually he managed to grind his denta and power on. “You can see me?”

                “You’ve been through a lot,” the voice, Wheeljack, it was Wheeljack, said. “How does it feel to be back?”

                Bumblebee attempted to sit up but his stomach ached when he attempted to move, and upon trying to push himself up with his arms he discovered they ached as well. “Painful.” Bumblebee forced himself to say, annoyed at the effort it took to move his mouth plates.

                “Figures,” the second voice said again as Bumblebee moved his head to figure out who it was. It took him a second to remember his face. Bumblebee had seen him on the Council of Worlds but frankly he had larger fish to fry in that moment. Like the fact his frame was uncomfortably heating up. _Vent_ he told himself, willing his frame into the function that had never taken effort before. “When mechs wake up from frame alterations they have to work towards regaining full control over whatever functions have been altered. He just had all his systems altered.”

                “What’s going on?” Bumblebee asked before grinding his servos into the hard medical berth under him, grunting as he managed to sit upright only for his back to give out a moment later, causing him to slam back into the berth.

                “You’ve been dead the past few years,” Wheeljack responded coolly. “It happens.” Bumblebee couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “But we’ve been dealing with some nonsense Shockwave caused and found traces of your spark signature trapped in a pocket dimension and got you out."

                “And put you in a freshly made frame curtesy of me,” the red mech said.

                “Ignore him,” Wheeljack said as he pushed the other mech slightly, “He thinks he’s Primus’ gift to Cybertron.”

                “Oh like Cybertron would be anything without the colonies,” the red mech said.

                “So that all happened?” Bumblebee chimed in, half expecting to be ignored by the other mechs and for his death to get back to normal.

                “What all happened?” Wheeljack asked turning his attention back to Bumblebee.

                “The colonies, the titans stuff, the Council of Worlds?” Bumblebee said trying once again to sit up. “And can I get my cane back?”

                “Wait. You know about all of that?” Wheeljack asked.

                “Yeah now what about getting my cane back, I have places to go and people to see,” Bumblebee said making yet another failed attempt to sit up.

                “You have at least a stellar cycle of physical therapy until you’ll be able to walk with limited mobility devices,” the red mech replied.

                “Can we start now then?” Bumblebee said as he finally managed to sit himself upright, bracing his arms against his legs to stay up.

                “I think we need to talk about you knowing about things that happened after you died first,” Wheeljack said patting Bumblebee’s shoulder. The servo connecting with metal made Bumblebee’s processor go wild. That was sensation, he wasn’t used to it. Not anymore.

                Bumblebee grumbled but eventually agreed to talk about it, but only if he was able to make rounds in a wheelchair once they were done with whatever it was Wheeljack wanted. He had spent too long with no one seeing him, he wasn’t about to keep limited contact now he was back.

* * *

 

                “What’s your game?” Starscream asked as he absentmindedly glanced at Bumblebee.

                It had been a week since Bumblebee had come back to life, which meant it had been a week since he had seen Starscream. The fact he missed it at all made him let loose a wide grin and a chuckle “What do you mean what’s my game Starscream?”

                “Do you want me to admit your influence is part of why I’m in here?” Starscream asked incredulously.  “I disagree with you and you leave me alone in solitary confinement for a week! Fine you made me a better person. Get out of that chair and let’s talk.”

                “I can’t” Bumblebee said wheeling his chair closer to the bars of Starscream’s cell, “But I will happily take credit for you bettering yourself.”

                “What do you mean you can’t?” Starscream asked, “You’re dead. No way you need a wheelchair.

                “About that,” Bumblebee said as he reached a servo through the cell’s bars. “I’m alive again. Check if you want.”

                Starscream rolled his optics and reached a servo out to Bumblebee’s own, expecting the iciness the ghost put out, and jolting when he met a solid and warm servo. “How?”

                “Weird science slag, ask Wheeljack sometime,” Bumblebee said. “Actually he is right outside at the moment, I am technically not allowed out of his and Knock Out’s care for like five deca-cycles.” Bumblebee allowed his grin to soften from something that spanned audial to audial to a slight thing that might be mistaken as a smirk to someone who didn’t realize Bumblebee wasn’t created with the sort of personality to pull off a smirk. “I didn’t want you to think I hated you or something when I don’t show up daily.”

                “So how often do you plan on coming around then?” Starscream squeezed Bumblebee’s servo with his own. “I need my daily dose of annoyance.”

                “As often as they let me,” Bumblebee said. “Primus knows I need you around to bring me down a peg.” He chuckled and met Starscream’s optics as his own glowed tenderly, “That is if you want me to visit. You aren’t stuck with me anymore.”

                “I,” Starscream started. He paused and vented a few times while he focused his optics downward. “Don’t get cocky about it. I’d welcome any visitors and you’re my only offer at the moment.” That was the mech he knew and loved. Bumblebee was alive again, he had to accept Starscream was going to talk to him like he talked to any other mech.

                Bumblebee squeezed Starscream’s servo in response. That was the Starscream he knew and loved. “I’ll see what I can do then.” Bumblebee replied. “Until next time.” He said as he gripped the wheels of his wheelchair and rolled to the door Wheeljack had been standing outside. _Tomorrow_ he thought, he could do tomorrow if he begged, being cute did have its advantages after all.


	2. Chapter 2

                Bumblebee shifted his weight in his wheelchair. He was a personal friend of Optimus Prime, he had spent the last several years with his digit on the pulse of Cybertron’s leader, officially “meeting” Windblade was not a big deal. Or at least he didn’t think it was a big deal, Windblade seemed to think otherwise as she nervously introduced herself to Bumblebee and offered a servo to shake.

                “It is an honor,” Bumblebee said as he shook servos with the femme. “What you’ve done on Cybertron is impressive,” Bumblebee said, “And it is always nice to meet new Autobots.”

                “I’ve been an Autobot for years,” Windblade said , “But I suppose you were dead in those years, so never mind I guess.”

                “How is Chromia doing? Has she messaged you at all?” Bumblebee asked.

                Windblade’s optics sputtered for a moment before she took a few vents and returns to her gentle gaze, “Yes she is doing well. Wheeljack told me you knew some of what happened during your death.”

                “Anything Starscream knows,” Bumblebee said with a nod, “Which means I don’t know a lot of what is happening outside of politics honestly. Or whatever has happened outside of his jail cell for the last few weeks.”

                “Interesting,” Windblade replied. She glanced to the floor, “Hopefully his opinion of me haven’t tainted your own then.”

                Bumblebee shook his head. “No, of course not. I was tied to him physically but I was able to make my own opinions on what happened around him. Honesty you remind me a lot of Optimus in about the first million or so years of the war.”

                “Thanks for that,” Windblade replied as she got up, “Sorry I can’t stay for long but I have a planet to rule.” She nodded at Bumblebee, “I just wanted to meet the Autobot everyone talks so much about. Feel free to talk to me once you are done with your physical therapy. I am sure we can find a place for you in the government.”

                Bumblebee nodded in response. Before he died he wanted nothing more than to win against Starscream and rule Cybertron. Before that he wanted nothing more than a decent job under an Optimus-controlled Cybertron. Dying apparently had opened a door that Bumblebee couldn’t have opened himself. “I may take you up on that,” Bumblebee replied, waving as Windblade left his hospital room.

* * *

room.

                Bumblebee wheeled himself to the door that lead into the hall of cells Starscream was currently assigned to, thanking the guard for helping him with the rare door on Cybertron that wasn’t automatic. Once the door closed Bumblebee wheeled himself closer to Starscream and said “Hey Star.”

                Starscream was staring out the slender window of his cell. Optics following the trail of exhaust currently disapaiting in the sky. “Bumblebee,” the seeker replied turning his focus to the mech. He walked to the bars of his cell and kneeled to be closer to Bumblebee’s current eye level.

                “I’ll be transitioning from the wheelchair to a walker next week.” Bumblebee said without prompting.

                “Any idea when you’ll be back to just a cane?” Starscream asked.

                “No, not particularly,” Bumblebee said before adding, “Not soon enough. So, what’s new with you?”

                Starscream sighed, “Nothing. Nothing at all. They changed the supplier of the jail’s energon. It tastes worse but is apparently better for you.” For not the first time Starscream wondered about if Bumblebee had come back to life when he was leader of Cybertron. First off he was sure there were better options for his physical therapy than Bumblebee had been getting. Then after a private conversation with Bumblebee he could make a giant show out announcing he intended to make his former political opponent his conjunx. Amica or Conjunx, he wasn’t quite sure which Bumblebee wanted. Either way it would make headlines. But that didn’t matter much with Starscream in prison, even if it was fun to think about.

                Bumblebee took a cube out of his subspace and pushed it through the opening in Starscream’s cell without prompting, “Wheeljack has been trying to keep me on medical grade. He doesn’t know Blurr owes me a favor from the war. It’s an Anti-Villain.” Bumblebee took out a second cube of the orange liquid for himself and took a sip.

                “Thank you,” Starscream said glancing at the cube offered to him. It seemed safe enough and Bumblebee wasn’t the sort of mech to poison someone, especially a prisoner who was currently harmless, but none the less Starscream couldn’t bring himself to take a sip.

                Bumblebee placed his cube in the opening, “Come on Screamer you saw me drink from that one.” He said.

                Starscream smiled and took the second cube, daring to drink a small sip and returning the original cube to Bumblebee. The drink wasn’t one he had tried before, it was cloyingly sweet and left an aftertaste that was somehow even sweeter than the initial wave of the drink. Of course Bumblebee would like something like that. He grimaced slightly and wondered if asking Bumblebee for something bitter to mix with the drink would be rude, but ultimately just took a second sip as he watched Bumblebee take his first sip from the other cube.

                “Once I’m out of the chair I’ll be moved to outpatient therapy,” Bumblebee said. “Which means they expect me to follow regular visiting hours since I won’t be trying to remember how to vent or write during them.”

                “Oh,” Starscream replied as he took another sip of the too sweet drink. “And when is visiting cycles?”

                “Once every other mega-cycle,” Bumblebee said. He took a long drink from his cube and slumped slightly in his wheelchair. “I love how they’re acting like you wouldn’t have me here anyways.” The smaller mech frowned, something Starscream had never expected to see Bumblebee do for anything short of murder or mass-deception on Starscream’s part. 

                “Do you know if I get to go to the rec room for the visits, or do you need to see me here?” Starscream asked. Goodness he could use a change of scenery. How was he going to do this the rest of his life? He wasn’t even a meta-cycle into his imprisonment yet and he was already bored senseless.

  
                “I’ll talk to the warden about it,” Bumblebee said before he drained the rest of his cube in a large gulp. “I’d guess the visiting area.”

                “Bumblebee,” Starscream started before thinking better of it, “Don’t keep me waiting,” he finished doing his best to return to a slick tone.

                “Wouldn’t dream of it Screamer,” Bumblebee said with a grin. “As long as you don’t keep me waiting on getting that empty cube back.”

                Oh right. Starscream took a few more sips from the cube before returning it to Bumblebee. How any mech could drink that and not harm their dente was beyond him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am following in the grand tradition of Jro and will be naming all drinks in this fic after pages on tvtropes


	3. Chapter 3

                Bumblebee was late. The first klik Starscream had chalked up to Bumblebee’s new chronometer being off, thirty kliks in he had attributed to traffic, but now nearly a cycle had passed and Starscream was becoming less and less certain the Autobot would keep his word to visit. Bumblebee had probably fallen back in with Optimus and the other Autobots. Starscream should have seen it coming. The only true companion he had in his life was only there because Bumblebee had no other options. He was amazed it took this long for Bumblebee to ditch him for his other friends. He had so many friends and was constantly making more, why bother with a mech in jail?

                He was about ready to ask a guard if he could go back to his cell when he noticed the visitor’s door opening and prepared to give Bumblebee a taste of how he got his name. It wasn’t the yellow mech that entered however, it was Wheeljack.

                “Sorry Starscream,” Wheeljack said as he walked into the visitor’s room of the prison, “Bumblebee can’t make it today.”

                “That’s convenient.” Starscream replied. He couldn’t make it the one day he could visit.

                “It really isn’t,” Wheeljack replied, “He is in the hospital.”

                “Wasn’t he just released from the hospital?” Starscream asked.

                Wheeljack shook his head, “Yes but after a few years dead he forgot he had to do things like refuel and recharge. Jazz went over to Bee’s place last night and found him passed out on the floor.”

                “Oh,” Starscream replied sheepishly, “Tell him I wish him well then.”

                “Will do,” Wheeljack replied. “After I yell at him. Do you know how much work it was to bring him back to life?”

                “A great deal of work I would imagine. Normally resurrection seems like a prime’s game.” Starscream replied.

                “I figure out how to break into the dimension he was in, then I get his spark out, then I had to convince Knock Out to build a frame for him. Do you know what it took to get him in on it?” Wheeljack asked almost as much to himself as to Starscream, “I had to make his endura a new blaster. Which was fun but still, you think a mech would be grateful.”

                “Well let me know whenever Bumblebee is out of the hospital,” Starscream said as he turned to leave. “They give me my comms midday.” He glanced at his guard, “But I’m sure if you mark it important this one will give it to me sooner.” He wanted to know the second Bumblebee could visit him again.

* * *

                “Wheeljack told me, and I quote ‘Tell Bumblebee to refuel since he won’t listen to me.’” Starscream said deadpan. “And may I just say I love the fact in addition to being in jail I am now Wheeljack’s messenger for you.”

                “Like I told Wheeljack I didn’t exactly mean to underfuel,” Bumblebee said. “Look you’ve seen me the last few years. I could do anything as a ghost and not worry about it. I didn’t have to fuel or recharge. Half the time I would stay up all night to make sure no one assassinated you.”

                “You did what?” Starscream asked, “Bumblebee did you just say-“

                “Oh I thought you knew that,” Bumblebee said blushing, “I didn’t tell you? I just thought you knew and that’s why you started sleeping without checking your door.”

                “I stopped checking the door when I installed a tripwire,” Starscream said.

                “You installed that?” Bumblebee exclaimed. “Windblade thought that was an assassination attempt!”

                “I mean it was put in to kill anyone attempting an assassination,” Starscream said with a smile, “Guess Windblade needs to get better at keeping her optics open.” 

                “She hasn’t gone through four-million years of war,” Bumblebee said, “Remember what it was like to be that innocent?”

                “No.” Starscream said plainly.

                Bumblebee nodded, “Fair enough,” truth be told Bumblebee couldn’t remember that either. “So We have two cycles, what do you want to talk about?”

                “What’s happened? I haven’t been getting news.” Starscream said. “Minus medical updates about you.”

                “Remind me to send you news reports,” Bumblebee said, “So first things first Elita has been freaking out.”

                “When isn’t she?” Starscream asked.

                Bumblebee chuckled, “Its nice she keeps Optimus in his place at least.”

                “Fair enough” Starscream replied, absentmindedly reaching for Bumblebee’s servo. He couldn't help but grin when Bumblebee reached back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reasons unknown half of my first-line indents refused to copy over despite the fact they are there and were done the exact same way as the ones that did copy over. By all means if you know how to fix that let me know, its bothering me too :P

In the past deca-cycle Starscream had received four coms from the hospital to let him know that Bumblebee had passed out. He also received four coms from the hospital to let him know Bumblebee had been recharged and sent back home. Each and every time the span between the first com and the second com gave Starscream a level of stress he did not know was possible outside of the warfront. Each and every time he would also receive a com a day later, clearly marked as read and if need be censored, from Bumblebee apologizing for worrying Starscream.

                The third time it happened Bumblebee missed another visiting time. Starscream didn’t know what he found more annoying about that, the fact that he spent two cycles in the visitor’s room only to have Rattrap make fun of Starscream when he didn’t receive visitors, or the apology com from Bumblebee that included a not insignificant amount of credits to be placed on Starscream’s commissary account. He didn’t want Bumblebee feeling obliged to take care of him. Starscream had survived plenty worse than a missed visit from a friend.

                If he could even call it that. Back when the Decepticons had taken Earth Soundwave mentioned one of the major sources of data on humans, a website, had a relationship status called “it’s complicated.” Starscream hadn’t understood that at the time, you were either in a relationship or not in a relationship. Well in a healthy relationship, an unhealthy relationship, or not in a relationship anyways, but somehow Starscream doubted “it’s complicated” was for unhealthy relationships since he knew those were things you didn’t announce to the world at large. The seeker understood now. “Its complicated” was whatever he had with Bumblebee.

                He had been stuck with Bumblebee and Bumblebee had been stuck with him for years. He hadn’t always been a welcome presence but for better or worse the yellow mech had been there even when no one else had been for Starscream. Despite Windblade having been in Starscream’s head he knew Bumblebee was the one that actually understood the way Starscream thought. Starscream could be himself around the ghost as well since it wasn’t as if Bumblebee could spill any of his secrets when the ghost could only talk to himself. That had changed. Now Bumblebee could talk to anyone but decided to talk to Starscream none the less. When they were together they would hold servos and would talk as if they had been friends their whole function rather than being companions due to circumstance. Yet none the less Starscream wasn’t completely comfortable with that.

                Not that Bumblebee had done anything to make Starscream feel that way, well not that he had done anything other than existing. Bumblebee could tell his secrets again, and even if the mech couldn’t they were being watched during their visits. It had made them lose some of their intimacy, even while they held servos and shared hugs at the beginning and end of visits. Were they even a couple even? Bumblebee had a reputation for being the friendliest mech in existence, a reputation that was so well known even the Decepticons knew that he could and would befriend anyone if given a chance. Maybe this was just part of being a friend with Bumblebee. Maybe he was just a tactile person and Starscream never knew before due to the fact they were enemies until Bumblebee couldn’t touch anymore.

                Starscream heard pede falls outside of his cell followed by the opening of the hole in his cell, “Starscream,” he heard the night guard say, “The hospital sent you another update on Bumblebee.”

                “Frag,” Starscream responded taking the com, “I would love it if he could stay healthy for one mega-cycle.” If something were to happen to Bumblebee he would be alone again. Starscream wasn’t sure if he could do that

* * *

 

                If you had asked Bumblebee what four million years of scouting for the Autobots would be useful for after the war a few years ago he would probably say something about the value of knowing when to stay quiet and knowing the importance of passing off information to those who could use it best rather than taking things into his own hands. In hind sight he probably should have brought that up more during the election, but what was over was over. Turned out things all happen for a reason and the years he spent “dead” when paired with his observation skills made him perfectly able to address the point at hand.

                In the utter spans of boredom that stretched between his and Starscream’s talks Bumblebee had learned everything about the prison Starscream was staying in. He knew guard schedules, he knew passcodes, he even knew where the thermostat was. He wasn’t about to help Starscream break out of prison but what else was there to do? Flirt? Well sure, but even if he did have feelings for Starscream what good would they do when he was dead. That thought gave his presence away if ever so slightly as his fans kicked on, creating a soft whirring. He cursed silently and shook his head, grateful that he had already deactivated the audio feed for his “visit”, but the whirring still gave him away to the mech who had been sleeping in front of him.

                “Bee?” Starscream asked rubbing his optics, “No way its visiting time.”

                “Nope” the mech replied with a hesitant grin. “I wanted to talk about some things that happened when I was, you know...” he took a deep vent, “I mean I get it. I was dead and I thought I was a ghost and you thought I was your imagination and I won’t tell any of your secrets to another mech because I get it was confidential but” Bumblebee paused and glanced at the ground, “I’ve been meaning to ask what we are exactly but I didn’t want to have this conversation in front of guards. Are we together? I don’t know if it counts because I was dead but we sort of went through the conjunx ritus.”

 

“Does it matter?” Starscream asked absentmindedly putting a servo though the cell’s bars to touch Bumblebee, to prove this was real and he hadn’t been imagining the last few stellar-cycles. “I have a life sentence Bee. Do you seriously want to spend your life with someone like this?”

“About that,” Bee replied with a smile. He shook Starscream’s hand off and went to work on the small lock before he managed to open the cell, step in, and close the door without reactivating the lock, “Everything is disabled and we have seventeen kliks before the next scheduled guard rotation. I’m not about to break you out but half of being a scout is breaking in places I technically shouldn’t be.”

“Oh you should definitely be here,” Starscream said giving Bumblebee a kiss. “So we probably have what, sixteen kliks left?” Starscream asked.

“Fifteen now,” Bumblebee said with a grin, “But we get it every night if you want.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy we've hit the first point the M is justified. Which is to say sex happens but it isn't explicitly happening in this chapter, but still if you aren't into that it might be worth stopping. If you are in to that and want more than I give in this chapter... well lets just say I plan on plenty more StarBee content both in and outside of the "And Triplets Make Five" universe moving forward

                “-and then Jazz came over and helped me set up a satellite link to human television. Now Earth is under Cybertronian control we technically need to pay for it but I think my bills are still being paid by the Autobots as an apology for dying.” Bumblebee finished. Or at least Starscream thought Bumblebee had finished, but the mech apparently was just taking a moment to vent before launching back into his story. “I wonder if Optimus told the humans we kinda-sorta-totally pirated cable for about a decade back on earth. I don’t think the company we got it from even exists anymore so it isn’t like we could pay them back.”

                That got a chuckle out of Starscream. “Seriously? I thought your guys whole spiel was not taking from native species.” 

                “The native species was too distracted with the aliens stealing their resources to yell at the aliens stealing their soap operas.” Bumblebee said with a quick squeeze of Starscream’s servo. “I guess I can’t pirate now you aren’t terrorizing anyone.”

                “I’m pretty sure I’m terrorizing the main guard,” Starscream admitted, “I might have yelled at him last time you were in the hospital.”

                “That’s understandable,” Bumblebee said.

                “Oh you haven’t heard me get upset,” Starscream said with a smile.

                Bumblebee cracked up at that. “Yes I have! Frequently. For like six years.”

                “Not at you,” Starscream said.

                Bumblebee laughed again, “Yes I have.” Bumblebee shook his head, “I was dead Starscream, not deaf.”

                “So are the shows you watched still on?” Starscream asked shifting slightly in his chair.

                “As the Kitchen Sinks is but it moved to the next generation of characters. Sheryl left her house to her daughter but not the one she had with Jack…” Bumblebee continued like that for the rest of visiting Cycle, Starscream smiling and nodding while he silently wished he could be with Bumblebee when he watched this ridiculous show.

* * *

 

                Starscream did his best to lazily kiss Bumblebee while wiping transfluid off of his berth. He had to make sure that his and Bumblebee’s escapades didn’t leave anything noticeable for the guards, but that didn’t mean he was going to ignore his partner, even if they only had a few kliks left. “Stay,” he moaned in between kisses.

                “Wish I could,” Bumblebee said as he separated himself from his partner. “Never thought I’d miss being dead but at least when I was a ghost I could spend the night.”

                Starscream stored the rag he was using in his subspace and pulled a small cube of high grade Bumblebee had smuggled for him out. “You know there is a way we could avoid some of this.”

                “I’m not breaking you out of jail Starscream,” Bumblebee said separating himself from his partner, “Don’t even try to convince me.”

                “Wasn’t going to,” Starscream said. He crossed arms over his chest and looked away from Bumblebee. “I-was-thinking-we-could-spark-bond” he spurted out. He followed the statement with a deep swig of his high grade and looked out his window and away from the other mech.

                He could hear Bumblebee’s vents sputtering and the mech coughed a few deka-kliks. “I must have misheard you.”

                Starscream dared to glance at his partner, “We’d be able to talk whenever. It wouldn’t solve us only getting sixteen kliks to frag but it would solve the fact you aren’t living-er dead with me anymore.”

                Bumblebee moved to the door and let himself out, securing the lock back into place behind him. “I’ll think it over.” The smaller mech moved to kiss his partner through the bars, “Just…it’s a lot to think over.”

                “That’s fine. Its not like you have to answer me tomorrow.” Starscream said giving Bumblebee one last kiss before letting the mech go on his way. “Just thought I’d put it out there.”

                “Yeah,” Bumblebee replied as he attempted to clear his mind to make it to his escape route.


	6. Chapter 6

                “There was a concert in Little Cybertron,” Bumblebee said absentmindedly as he sat across from Starscream. “Jem and the Holograms, Mirage wanted to check out if they actually use holograms.” The yellow mech shifted slightly in his seat, “He is pretty darn sure the front woman is using them but the humans don’t seem to realize it.”

                “Why use holograms in a band?” Starscream asked. He didn’t really care but at least Bumblebee was talking to him. That meant the proposal didn’t go as poorly as he feared it might.

                Bumblebee shrugged, “He wanted to ask her about where she got the tech but I told him it would be in bad taste.”

                Starscream pondered for a moment before replying, “She could be testing them for something big. It would be worth keeping an eye on.”

                “The band started before we annexed Earth, if she was going to do anything she would have used them during that,” Bumblebee said.

                “I guess she wouldn’t be performing for Cybertronians if she planned on using our tech against us,” Starscream replied.

                “Yeah, I’m still thinking about it,” Bumblebee said quietly.

                Starscream sighed, “You could have just said that. Its fine. You don’t have to try to break the ice with the what is simultaneously the most boring and nonsensical Earth news I’ve ever heard.”

                “Hey you told me you didn’t want As the Kitchen Sinks updates unless I could get you television in your cell to watch along,” Bumblebee replied.

                “I thought that was a completely reasonable request. A punishment for me and a reward for you.” The duo chuckled at that and continued their meaningless conversations for the remainder of the cycle.

* * *

                “I was talking to the master of resurrection today,” Bumblebee said without opening the cell door, “Optimus says anything I did as a ghost that was witnessed can be used towards legal documents.”

                “And?” Starscream asked before shaking the bars impatiently.

                “Well I am just saying if we bond we’ll legally be conjunx.” Bumblebee replied plainly, “Technically we already could apply but using a spark bond as an act of intimacy always helps strengthen the paperwork if there is a challenge to the ceremony.”

                “So you would be stuck with me,” Starscream said.

                Bumblebee opened the cell door and let himself in, taking Starscream’s servo in his own and walking him to the hard and too-small berth, “I’ve been stuck with you for years Starscream. A bit of paperwork won’t make that any more or less true.”

                “No I get it,” Starscream replied as he still decidedly refused to meet Bumblebee’s optics. “Conjunx is a life long commitment and I’ll be spending the rest of my life in here. If it was just the bond you could still legally deny it when you find a partner who doesn’t have a life sentence.”

                “Oh Star.” Bumblebee moved a servo to Starscream’s chin and pulled it up slightly until they met optics, “You know that isn’t it.”

                “Then what is it Bee? He turned his head away from Bumblebee yet again. “That I’m a seeker? A Decepticon? Cold constructed? If it isn’t about me being in prison why do you not want to bond with me?”

                Bumblebee leaned his weight against Starscream’s shoulder sinking into the warmth of his side. “I don’t know Star. I’ve been with you for six years and been _with_ you for what? A year since I came back online. Maybe two years if you want to count that last year I was offline.” His engines purred as Starscream extended an arm around his shoulders, betraying his doubts, or lack of doubts, even as he spoke. “That’s nothing. I’ve spent longer on individual missions than that. How can you say something that fast will hold up? What’s to say in five more years you won’t regret bonding with me?”

                Starscream kissed Bumblebee’s helm. “That silly grin you make when I do something good. The way you’re happy with breaking into a jail but refuse to break me out. That weird optimism that no mech should have left after the war.” He tugged at Bumblebee slightly until the mech was lying on the berth and proceeded to kiss and nuzzle at his neck. “The fact I’ve made it five years with you by my side and don’t hate you yet. The fact you’ve made it five years by my side and don’t hate me yet.”

                “And what happens next time I forget to fuel for a mega-cycle and pass out? You feel it. The fact I’ve made it a year is one-part miracle and one-part utter stubbornness on my friend’s part. “

Bumblebee leaned into Starscream despite himself. Frame and spark both screaming yes as his processor said no.

                “I don’t have to wait for the hospital to comm me or wait for a guard to bring the comm to me,” Starscream said. “You could show me that kitchen show you like over the bond. I know you’d love to talk to me about it and we’d have plenty of time to talk if you aren’t limited to official visits and these.”

                “I’ll tell you tomorrow,” Bumblebee said as he reluctantly left the berth, “I just need to think a little bit more but I promise I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may think from my 150+ action figures and hundreds of dollars worth of TF comics that Transformers is my favorite Hasbro property, but you would be wrong. Jem is my favorite Hasbro property. It is my goal in life to properly insert them into the shared Hasbro comic universe despite the fact they've been absent from all of the crossovers thus far


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The obligatory infodump chapter on how exactly sparkbonds work in my fics. Feel free to skip it if worldbuilding ain't your thing. I'll post another more plot-y chapter tomorrow

                He had not seen medics this often during the war. If a wound were mild enough he could handle it, and the sort of wound that was worth seeing Ratchet over were blessedly rare for Bumblebee. Being dead, as it turned out, was a bit of a mess for health. His fainting spells had him in the hospital more often than Bumblebee, or Starscream for that matter, was comfortable with. The fact he managed to drag himself to a clinic today should have been proof enough to Starscream he was serious about this. Then again dragging himself to the clinic without actually going in would do nothing, so Bumblebee reluctantly entered it, signed in, and sat behind a decorative vase in an attempt to ignore the other mechs in the waiting room.

                He passed the time imagining what he would be saying to Starscream if he was still a ghost. He would be going stir crazy, more so than he already was. Bumblebee would be going stir crazy from the prison as well. Maybe he would try to talk about the war since that was a glorious time waster, but that would only last so long until one of them was mad enough to ignore their only companion for at least a mega-cycle. Maybe it was for the best that wasn’t the case. He proceeded to look over the waiting room to see a pair of Devisiun colonists playing some sort of card game on mats and a handful of other mechs and femmes that were more difficult to place glancing through magazines. So the integration really was taking place and wasn’t limited to the Council of Worlds. It was always so difficult to tell when he could only get a few yards away from Starscream.

                Eventually he was called back and did his best not to grumble while the medic took his vital signs. “So what brings you in today Bumblebee?” She asked closing the examining room door, “Most Autobots seem to favor their own facilities.”

                “That’s the thing,” Bumblebee said. He paused for a second and took a deep vent before continuing, “The Autobots have told me very…specific things about what I want to ask about and well I think there might be some propaganda mixed in.”

                “I see,” the medic said lowering her clipboard, “What do you want to talk about then?”

                Bumblebee could feel himself blushing before he managed to blurt out, “Spark bonding. It was a giant no no during the war but my partner offered and…”

                “Ah,” she took a seat, “So what do you know about spark bonds?”

                “If your partner dies and you are spark bonded to them you will suffer medical problems as well. There are no secrets in them which is completely the pits for someone working with classified data. They drain energy from both partners to maintain and are impossible to break…but they also allow you to feel your partner even if they are a city over.” He ended, “I don’t know why I came. I know they’re a horrible idea.”

                “No,” the medic said looking him dead in the optics, “They are a serious decision to be sure but they have benefits.” She walked over to her desk and pulled out a few pamphlets. “You aren’t the first Autobot to come to me about this.” She handed the pamphlets to Bumblebee and he looked at them. The first was “Birth Control and You”, the second “Truth and Myths of Spark Bonding”, and the third and final, “No Shame: How to Leave an Abusive Partner.”

                “I don’t need the third one,” Bumblebee said handing it back, “Or the first, the Autobots all have crystals and a grand total of none of the Autobots managed to get accidentally fragged up during the war.”

                “Fair enough. Those are just the ones I tend to give out on my planet.” The medic sighed slightly and took the two pamphlets back. “Thankfully on Caminus we’re a bit less repressive about spark bonding, and a bit more factual” she said with a frown. “Not that the Autobots are the only one I’ve seen with unhealthy views of it. My own colleague Panzer is convinced spark bonds outside of your own alt’s category is unhealthy.”

                The medic sat down, “I’m Minerva by the way, Camien.”

                “Bumblebee, Cybertronian,” he reached out a servo in a proffered shake and she returned it.

                “How long have you been with your partner?” She asked kindly.

                “Um I’ve known of him about four million years, started heavily interacting with him around a decade ago, we started getting along about six years back, and we’ve been seeing each other a bit over a year and a half.” He listed off expecting judgement that didn’t come.

                “You must be very devoted to want a spark bond at all let alone after that short a time.” She took a few notes on Bumblebee’s chart.

                “We are. Honestly, we’ve spent so much time together it feels like we’re spark bonded already. That’s why he wants to. We can’t be together as often as either of us would like at the moment and he thinks it will get us back to normal.” Bumblebee started to flip through the pamphlet unwilling to look at the medic. 

                “And how do you feel about that?” Minerva asked, still surprisingly calm.

                Bumblebee vented, “I love him and want to spend eternity with him, but I am a high ranking Autobot and he is a formerly high ranking con. I’m afraid he could get into my codes.”

                “If you don’t trust him to be in your mind trusting him in your spark may not be the best decision, but you would be aware if he tried to take information from you.”

                “I would?” Bumblebee asked. That was news to him.

                “And you would be able to block him-at least as long as you are awake.” She took the pamphlet from Bumblebee and flipped to a page for him. “And it is a myth that you can accidentally transmute information to your partner. You can transmute feelings to your partner without realizing it, but they have to prod and get consent to see the data tied to it. So if you trust him not to pry at your processor every cycle of the day you would be able to put up a fight if he were to say, want to know what you are buying him for his online date. This isn’t a cortical psychic patch”

                “What about health?” Bumblebee asked, satisfied with the mental component of the bond. “I have health issues. Would they transfer to him? What if I died?” _Again_ he added mentally.

                “You wouldn’t transfer any health issues short of those that are naturally transmuted during interface.” She patted his shoulder, “And it is a giant myth that a spark bond is the end all to be all once performed. While it is significant if a partner dies the other partner experiences no physical trauma other than what is shared through the bond. What the Autobots record as debilitating happens at the same rates amongst bonded and unbonded conjunx. Fact of the matter is when you lose your partner you become depressed.”

                That made sense. Not that he wanted to make Starscream depressed but at least he wasn’t about to kill the mech in the least climatic way possible for a heavily hated ex-politician. “And if the war were to start again?”

                Minerva sighed, “I don’t understand Cybertronians. You can’t accept peace.”

                “We’re pragmatic,” Bumblebee said hating himself the moment he said it.

                “More like you are willing to play around with the peace that we all deserve so a handful of Cybertronians can ruin five more planets next time around.” She wasn’t wrong Bumblebee admitted to himself, but he would be damned before he admitted it.

                “I don’t want to be suddenly expected to leak my conjunx’s secrets, enemy or not.” Bumblebee said, figuring that sounded palatable enough.

                “Spark bonds can be dulled to the point of irrelevance temporarily from a distance of at least a solar system,” she replied dutifully, “And will eventually become permanent if you keep the distance long enough. That or pop yourself in statis a few decades if you can’t handle the process awake. I still don’t recommend it though”

                Bumblebee nodded. It wasn't like he had done what anyone would recommend he do recently, so he had a bond to plan. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who forgot they added a unit of time and never explained it? A deka-klik is a tenth of a klik, so about 7 seconds. IDW doesn't have anything close to a second and I figured the metric system has never let me down in the past

                Bumblebee had imagined bonding one day. Never during the war, he wouldn’t want his partner to go and die on him, but he had always imaged a future where an Autobot ruled Cybertron and he met someone, probably an Autobot who was stationed at some obscure base in the middle of nowhere during the war, and could settle down. There would be high grade and music, a soft berth made of mesh-or perhaps even something organic they had traded for, and it would be the moment he knew he could actually start a life. Something him and so many of his friends never had a chance at before getting caught up in the war so young.

               This night wasn’t exactly what he had imagined. Sneaking past a mixture of neutral and Autobot guards, breaking into a prison cell, and bonding with the former second in command of the Decepticon army. Then again he was sure Optimus had broken into Megatron’s cell back during his trial and if his leader could do it so could Bumblebee. There were plenty of benefits too. After this they would have more than their sixteen klik adventures at night and censored visiting during the day. He loved the idea of calling out for Starscream and getting a response, one that wouldn’t be detected by intelligence, one that wouldn’t fade into nonexistence.

               A spark bond wasn’t a revolutionary act for the duo considering they shared the majority of the effects of one back when Bumblebee was a ghost. It wasn’t a new step for their relationship, it was a return to the old. Mostly anyways. Bonding wasn’t the end of the world. It was nothing to be afraid about. Bumblebee did his best to remind himself of this every deka-klik.

               It would just be like what they had. He could talk to Starscream whenever and Starscream could talk to him whenever and both sides could ignore each other at will. The emotions thing wasn’t exactly new ground either, after several years of near constant contact Bumblebee could read Starscream fairly well and Starscream admitted to much the same about Bumblebee. He just kept repeating it wasn’t new ground to himself. The only new part is this time it was by choice and not by some weird quark in the galaxy that decided he could only speak to the jet. None the lest his chest plates remained closed as precious moments of the evening visit snuck by.

               “You don’t have to Bee,” Starscream said looking down at his smaller partner, “I get it.”

               “I want to,” Bumblebee replied finally managing to open his chest plates to bare the spark within, “Love you Star.” 

                It took Starscream seemingly no time at all to open his own chest plates baring the spark within. Bumblebee stared at the glowing mass for a second as if he could magically deceiver which swirls of blue were the ones that held all of his favorite parts of Starscream. Millions of years ago, even a decade ago Bumblebee would celebrate the chance to snuff out such an important enemy, but now with spark in the open Bumblebee couldn’t help but admire it.

                The duo linked arms as they brought their chests closer together, sparks pulling at spark casing and towards each other, sending the pair forward and into orbit. It was everything, it was nothing. Bumblebee was himself but he wasn’t, he was present and absent, he could feel charge after charge triggering a wave of overloads in his own body just as easily as he could feel the ones that currently wracked his partner’s frame as well.

                _Love you_ echoed across the bond and Bumblebee was fairly certain Starscream was the one who felt it, said it, but it reverberated like the most pleasant of feedback loops. He did, they both did, and as their sparks returned to their proper homes Bumblebee couldn’t help but notice a few wisps of a slightly lighter shade on Starscream’s spark and knew there were the same wisps of a slightly darker shade on his own.

               “I’m glad I got stuck with you.” Bumblebee said after a seeming century of silence between the two.

               Eh,” Starscream said with a grin, “There are worse things in life than getting haunted by a friendly ghost.”

               “I could set off the alarm in the other sector of the prison,” Bumblebee said returning his attention to Starscream’s chestplates which had tragically closed, “Can’t make a habit out of it or they’ll catch on but if you want a round two I’ve heard fragging with a sparkbond is something else.”

               “Primus you would have made a great Decepticon,” Starscream said pulling Bumblebee into his lap. “So how much longer will this give us?”

               “Enough,” Bumblebee said as he fiddled with the alarm system outside of Starscream’s cell. “It will give us long enough.”

* * *

                Starscream paced impatiently in the visitor’s room. He attempted to contact Bumblebee but was met by a fast reply of _Coming_ before focusing on something that was clearly annoying Bumblebee. Like he was the one who got two cycles out of his cell every other mega-cycle. It was doubly annoying because Bumblebee hadn’t had the guts to visit since setting off the alarm, meaning he hadn’t gotten to hold his bonded in nearly a mega-cycle.

                When Bumblebee eventually made it in he launched into an apology, “Sorry Star,” he kissed his conjunx and sat down, “Someone forgot to unload their bombs before trying to get through security.”

                 “You were the one who asked me to come,” Wheeljack said. He took a seat next to Bumblebee. “Starscream.”

                “Wheeljack,” Starscream replied plainly. “Why did you ask Wheeljack to come?” He asked Bumblebee.

                “We need a witness for us to finalize the paperwork.” Bumblebee pulled out a few documents. “I have already updated my files to have you as my emergency contact so all we need to do is get things filed on your side and submit the formal paperwork to acknowledge we’ve gone through the ritus.”

                Despite their previous meeting somehow Starscream had doubted Bumblebee would go through the process to make their bond official. That would mean admitting to the Autobots exactly what they were. But if he was willing so was Starscream, so he took the documents in servo and started skimming. “Already have you as my emergency contact…you already filled out our acts…you are not saying that for act of disclosure,” he changed the document to something distinctly less embarrassing, “Alright.”

                “Killjoy,” Bumblebee said as he skimmed the edited document before signing.

                “The paperwork already has your given name on it, what’s the shame in that Bumble?” Starscream chuckled and reached for the document.

                “Sorry I wanted everyone to know my conjunx tells me his secrets and not just the other way around,” Bumblebee handed the document over and stuck his glossa out briefly until Starscream signed.

                “Can I go now?” Wheeljack asked getting up. “Before my denta rot.”

                “Thanks Wheeljack,” Bumblebee said “No chance you can tell Optimus what I just did for me?”

                “Frag no,” Wheeljack said. “You couldn’t pay me a million credits to tell Optimus what you two just did.”

                “Oh let me tell him,” Starscream said with a smirk, “I want to see the look on his face.”

                Bumblebee and Starscream both discounted the smaller mech’s lightheadedness as something he got from laughing too hard at that. It wasn’t until that night’s visit Starscream noticed the three pin points of newsparks around Bumblebee’s spark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone keeping track at home it took 16 pages of single spaced word document for me to get around to the actual mechpreg part of a mechpreg fanfic. That I entirely wrote because I wanted mechpreg with these two characters. I don't actually know how that happened.


	9. Chapter 9

                “How did it happen?” Bumblebee asked incredulously to Minerva as he opened his chest. “Four million years of war and not once has a crystal implant failed!”

                The medic scanned the spark chamber of Bumblebee before making a soft clicking sound, “I’ve been trying to contact you about that. I requested your medical files be transferred from the Autobot facility to here. You never said you have a new frame.”

                “Obviously I have a new frame, my old one got shot about a million times and then had its chestplate stolen by a warlord,” Bumblebee said rubbing his new Autobrand. He wanted his real one back damn it.

                “And you assumed it would still have a crystal implant?” She asked.

                He glanced downward towards his spark and spark casing, “I mean Autobots already put them in MTOs by default and Ratchet always made sure Optimus’s new frames had them. Energy crisis. Everyone has them.”

                “On Cybertron yes, but your frame was created by a Velocitron if your medical files are accurate.” Minerva couldn’t help but smile slightly, “I’ll take it you went through with the bond then. Congratulations.”

                “You should probably wait on saying that,” Bumblebee said as he handed her his updated file.

                Minerva made a second clicking sound, this time distinctly louder than the first. “You’re kidding.”

                “Oh I wish,” Bumblebee said as he slumped against the examining room table. “So how does one care for a newspark? I feel like the last one on Cybertron was born before I was forged.”

* * *

                “Bumblebee,” Windblade acknowledged as the mech entered her office. She hadn’t had much interaction with him but all the Autobots seemed to think highly of him in a way that wasn’t oddly hero worship-y like it was with Optimus. “What do I owe the pleasure?”

                Bumblebee slumped into the chair across from her, “Honestly? You’re my practice run for a conversation I need to have with Optimus.” The mech looked horrible. His new frame was still bright and shiny however it was obviously being possessed by a mech who had millions of years of hardships and spent years ‘dead’.

                “Do you want a job in the government instead of in the Autobot leadership or something? There are a few positions available. Actually, we still need another Cybertronian represented. Every day Optimus subs in is one day closer to when him and Elita inevitably start shooting at each other in the meeting room.” She gave a slight grimace. At least Elita wasn’t in charge of Cybertron. Little blessings.

                “No…but actually it is tied to the whole Starscream being in jail thing.” Bumblebee looked down and blushed slightly. “Have you wondered why I’ve been visiting him so much?”

                “Not particularly.” Windblade admitted, “I mean you told us about being stuck with him when you were dead, it makes sense you’d want to see him while you’re getting used to being able to talk to anyone again.”

                “Well yes there is that but…okay no beating around the bush,” Bumblebee said before looking her dead in the eyes. “During my time as a ghost frankly I fell for Starscream, badly. When I came back to life I found myself missing him, and he missed me as well so I visited him…more than is reported.”

                “Beating around the bush? Sorry I don’t follow you,” Windblade interjected.

                “Human term. I have been sneaking into Starscream’s cell at night. I would never break him out but..." he paused, "Well it turns out when Knock Out built my new body he didn’t put in any birth control devices.” Bumblebee rubbed his stomach, unable to feel a bump yet but hyperaware it would come in time. “I’m carrying his sparklings. I have every intent to keep them.”

                “Wait what?” Windblade glared at Bumblebee’s stomach, “You can’t possibly be serious! Starscream is Starscream! I can’t stand him and I’ve known him six years, you’ve known him what-four million?” She got out of her chair and strode to a comm, “Cybertron might not have any therapists left on planet but I’m sure one of the colonies must have something. We can get you consoling about this. I’m amazed no one figured out something was wrong with you. Anyone forced to spend that much time with Starscream-“

                “I don’t need therapy.” Bumblebee  looked down again, “I have broken more than a few laws getting sparked up, I only came to you to request that if you intend to press charges I get a cell near my conjunx endura.”

                Windblade sighed, “You know I was excited to not deal with Starscream for a while. Sit back and relax and not think about him.”

                Bumblebee looked apologetically back, “I would have said the same thing back when I was running against him. So will you let me be near my conjunx?”

                “We’ll talk about this sometime that is not now,” Windblade said returning to her chair, “I don’t think we’ll press charges. It would be a shame if the first emergence on Cybertron in over four million years took place in a prison. Can you imagine the press?”

                Bumblebee smiled and rubbed his stomach again, “Thank you so much. And I promise I won’t make any more nightly trips to Starscream. With sparklings I won’t have the energy to anyways.”

                “Oh I’m sure you won’t. We’ll transfer him to another prison tomorrow. I’m not saying you’ll never see him again-of course. But I’ll make sure neither of you know the directions to where he is.”

                Bumblebee sighed, “Can he go to my doctor’s appointments?”

                Windblade looked down, “Perhaps. It depends on both of your behaviors. I’ll call a guard to escort you out. On the books I’ll say it is for your security.”

                “I’m beginning to think we’ve both spent too much time with Star,” Bumblebee said. “Do I at least get to pick the guard?”

                “What do you think?” Windblade said as she called in a neutral.

                “Fair enough,” Bumblebee said. The guard would probably be welcome around the time of the emergence anyways. No way he was going to be able to juggle the sparkling by himself.


	10. Chapter 10

                _You could have claimed the sparklings were Thundercrackers and avoided this whole thing._ Starscream said as their first visitless night elapsed. _He had a massive crush on you before he met that human. Everyone would believe it._

_Star we both know I don’t play that sort of game._ Bumblebee replied _So what information do you have on the new prison?_ Bumblebee rolled on his stomach for a moment before thinking better of it and returning to his back.

                _An hour away from the previous prison, I’m on the third floor unless there are subterranean ones I don’t know about. All entry and exit points are based on appearance, so unless you can somehow contact Mirage or steal that band’s holograms escape attempts are going to go about as well as my attempts at ruling the Decepticons._

                That caused both of them to laugh, leading the guard to look at Bumblebee suspiciously for a moment before returning their attention to a number puzzle. _Our best chance at breaking you out would be during one of my doctor visits. Even then what do we do next? Say you want to get tried by the Knights of Cybertron? There is no way I am joining the Lost Light._

_No. If I ever see that buckethead again they’ll be trying me for murder right alongside crimes against Cybertron._ Starscream said irritated.

                _If you killed him I’m pretty sure Cybertron would throw you a parade_ Bumblebee added absentmindedly. _He stole my Autobrand by the way. The nerve of some mechs. I die and he’s like oh I’m an Autobot now, I’m going to steal the Autobrand off of a dead mech to show it!_ Mutual anger flew across their bond _I want my old brand back._

_Don’t stress the sparklings._ Starscream said, making Bumblebee realize just how angry he was. _I appreciate it but lets try to relax for now._

“I don’t want to be a single parent,” Bumblebee said, not realizing he had vocalized it until he noticed his guard looking at him, “How am I supposed to do this?” He curled in his berth, “Star I don’t want to terminate the sparks but I don’t want this. I want to go back to being a ghost.” He did his best to hold back tears that wanted to leave his optics. “I want to spend eternity with you. Just me and you stuck in a prison cell together like I thought we’d have.” Bumblebee continued to cry before adding, “And during the war everyone was like oh Bumblebee is so good with kids, but I got to send those ones home.” _I don’t want to terminate this, but I don’t want to raise them, but I also don’t want to give them up for adoption. I wouldn’t trust a single mech on Cybertron with raising your children._

_Oh Bee._ Starscream said _What have we gotten ourselves into?_

Bumblebee contemplated that as he felt the world around him go black.

* * *

                When Bumblebee came to he was in familiar arms. “Am I dead again?” He asked leaning into the touch, “Because if this is the Allspark I could total handle this.” He was warm, he was full, and Starscream tenderly held his servo. That wouldn’t be his Starscream he supposed but it would do until the real one showed up.

                “You’re in the hospital,” Starscream said plainly, “You hadn’t refueled in nearly two mega-cycles.”

                “Oh,” Bumblebee replied plainly as he noticed the Energon drip going into his arm. “Are the sparklings alright?”

                “Barely. That’s why I’m here. Bumblebee they thought they were going to lose you and the sparklings. They brought me here so I could say goodbye to my conjunx before he died.” Starscream buried his head into Bumblebee’s chest.

                “How? During the war I’d go full deca-cycles  without refueling.” Bumblebee attempted to nudge Starscream off of him. “And I was fighting and everything. How did a few mega-cycles without fuel almost kill me? Maybe the medics just wanted to let you see me.” Bumblebee smiled at his conjunx. “I’ve been through this dozens of times, they keep me in a few days, I go back home, and then I am completely fine until next time I forget to eat.”

                “Do you know how much energy carrying takes?” Starscream asked plainly.

                “Not really. Mechs had stopped doing it by the time I had come online. Frag I had birth control put in me maybe a week after I forged.” Bumblebee tried to think back to it, “I mean who wanted sparklings? It was about when the war started. No one wanted sparklings when we were at war.”

                “No one wanted sparklings,” Starscream said attempting to stay calm, “Because carrying takes a lot out of a mech Bee. You need an extra batch of full rations per spark, you should be fueling four times your normal amount. And those sparks? They are eating at yours for their energy. That’s fine if you actually provide them with what they need but if you don’t” Starscream shook his head, “The reason it didn’t happen much before the war is only the top of the top castes could get that amount of energon.” Starscream sighed, “I guess Optimus never taught the Autobots much history, huh?”

                “It was a war Starscream, were you teaching Decepticons history?” Bumblebee asked coldly.

                “I suppose not.” Starscream shook his head. “Are you sure you want to keep the bitlets Bee. You can hardly take care of yourself right now. I wouldn’t be mad if that’s what you’re worried about.”

                “I…I don’t know,” Bumblebee admitted, “I like the idea of having sparklings. I even like the idea of having sparklings with you,” he paused to give Starscream a playful grin, “But…I don’t know.” He reached out a servo and gripped one of Starscream’s currently shackled ones. “Remind me why you had to get yourself locked up again?”

                “An annoying Autobot gave me a moral compass,” Starscream said playfully, “You should meet him sometime he is the absolute worst.”

                “Sounds like it,” Bumblebee replied holding Starscream’s servo all the tighter. “Bet he is cute though.”

                “Totally,” Starscream said returning the squeeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do I do when life gets stressful? Put up a second chapter in one day in hopes of calming down. I don't think it is working, but hey it is making me super productive at least


	11. Chapter 11

               “No,” Windblade said as she refused to look up from the data pad she was skimming.

                “I haven’t even said anything yet!” Starscream exclaimed in response.

                “I don’t care. My answer is no and don’t bother me again until Chromia gets back.” She pulled up a second file and still did her best to ignore the mech in front of her.

                “You’ve spent too much time with me,” Starscream replied bitterly.

                “Things I tell myself every day of my life,” Windblade said harshly

                “All I want is to make sure Bumblebee gets the medical care a carrier should.” He gave a smirk when he saw the look on Windblade’s face.

                “That I can manage,” she said motioning for the guards to take Starscream away.

                “And-“, Starscream added hesitantly, “Ideally I would like to be on probation, house arrest, so I could help him with the sparklings.”

                “Oh there is the no I knew was coming,” Windblade said coldly, “Politically the pushback of that would be…immense. Not to mention I frankly don’t want to.” She held back a smirk of her own, “Come on Starscream, it’s a shame that Bumblebee couldn’t take care of himself but you know there are plenty of Autobots that will keep an eye on him. What good would you being there do?”

                “I don’t know. How possibly could it be good for a carrier to have his sire at his side?” Starscream said sarcastically, “What good would it do for the newsparks to feel their sire’s signature near them? It isn’t like Bumblebee’s stress would decrease greatly if he wasn’t worried about being a single parent.” He could feel a pang of guilt at the thought. “Just a few decades. Once he gives birth we’ll get him a birth control device. Then just let me have a few decades to help raise them.” He took a quick vent before continuing. “You can lock down my t-cog, put a tracking device on me, monitor my conversations.”

                “And you’ll figure out a way to stay out surely.” Windblade said with a cool tone.

                Starscream shook his head, faltering and realizing he had to be honest if he had any chance of this working. Slag, he thought to himself. “Bumblebee is going to terminate the sparklings if he has to do it alone. I know that there are Autobots who would offer to babysit and do whatever but that wouldn’t change the fact he would be alone in this. I did this to him. It is my responsibility. These sparklings are my responsibility.” He shook his head, “Seekers don’t have sparklings. We just don’t. Before the war we could never afford the amount of energon our partner would need and during the war well…” He shook his head. “Just think about it.”

* * *

_Want to talk about it?_ Bumblebee asked as he sipped on a prenatal supplement.

                _Not particularly, no._ Starscream replied. _I’m glad you’re eating again._

 _The guard has been reminding me, thank you._ Bumblebee rubbed his stomach. _Optimus visited today. Gave me this big lecture about fraternizing with the enemy._

 _Remind him the war was over?_ Starscream asked as he attempted to get comfortable on his too small cell berth.

                _Reminded him Prowl has footage of him and Megatron fragging during the trial a few years back._ Bumblebee said with a smile. _He offered to babysit and got the out of my apartment._

 _Serves him right for insulting my conjunx._ Starscream couldn’t help but smile at the thought he had totally been a negative influence on Bumblebee in the worst of ways.

                _Do you want to talk about it or?_ Bumblebee asked as he rubbed his stomach which was slowly becoming more convex.

                _It is your body._ Starscream replied. _If it had been built to your specifications this never would have happened._

 _But it did._ Bumblebee replied. _I got some of the conversation you were having with Windblade over the bond._

 _I meant to block that._ Starscream said plainly.

                _You were too stressed and I’m too good of a scout to miss an oprotunity._ He chuckled at the slight twang of annoyance he felt over the bond. _Let me guess. Was it with Skyfire?_

 _Was what with Skyfire?_ Starscream replied slowly.

                _This clearly isn’t your first rodeo._ Bumblebee said. _So was it with Skyfire?_

 _Yes. He was giving me half of his rations to keep up my strength._ Starscream said. _May have been why he crashed. I lost it a bit after when the trine couldn't get enough energy to care for me carrying. So I understand if you can't do this._

 _This isn’t before the war though._ Bumblebee said. _Or during the war. I have all the resources needed to carry them._

 _Minus a partner._ Starscream replied coldly.

                _We’ll visit you every week._ Bumblebee said.

                _You’ll round up the three sparklings you need to care for all day every day. Get all of the sparkling stuff packed, make sure the stroller is in order. How long will that take you? A cycle? A cycle of work to visit a partner who should be helping you with half of everything, not making your day even more difficult._ Starscream glared at the prison bars in front of him.

 _And in what world is this more punishment?_ Starscream added. _I don’t have to clean sparklings or deal with late night crying or be there for your morning sickness. I get to rest all day. That isn’t punishment, it’s a vacation!_

 _If I terminate we could petition for parole in a couple hundred years._ Bumblebee replied hesitantly, _You could be free and with me and we could have as may triplets as you want._ Bumblebee tried to repress his next thoughts about wanting these three though.

 _I want them too._ Starscream admitted, rolling over to attempt to sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I don't hate WIndblade by the way


	12. Chapter 12

                “Marissa took Buster to the Council meeting so unless she drools on Knock Out again I should have a whole day here.” Thundercracker said with a grin as Bumblebee opened the door.

                “Wait what?” Bumblebee replied.

                “Your apartment needs seeker proofed,” Thundercracker said as he sat down his briefcase and took out a can of something.

                “Wheeljack was going to help me sparkling-proof the place next week.” Bumblebee replied, still frazzled.

                “And you won’t think about sparkling-proofing anything above hip height.” Thundercracker replied as he flew to the ceiling fan and started applying foam from the can he brought. “Your bitlets discovers their t-cog while you’re sleeping and pokes out an optic.”

                “Okay?” Bumblebee replied as he sat down. “But don’t they not normally transform for a while? I was reading some books and-“

                “You’re carrying seekers Bee. Whatever you read about grounders is completely useless for them.”

                “Okay?” Bumblebee repeated, “Thanks I guess. How is Marissa doing anyways?”

                “Pretty well. We aren’t completely convinced Elita won’t attempt to break into our place and slit her throat but that’s why we have a guard dog.” He moved over to cabinets where he began to put up a barrier between the top of them and the ceiling.

                “I don’t think Buster is going to be good for much guarding,” Bumblebee admitted.

                “And that’s why they both have me,” Thundercracker admitted.

                _Must be nice_ Bumblebee thought to himself. “Would you like some energon?”

                “I’m fine,” Thundercracker added. “You’re lucky Starscream called me. This place is a disaster zone for fliers.”

                “Yeah,” Bumblebee added, “It’s nice he cares.”

* * *

                The deka-klik Starscream was lead into Bumblebee’s exam room he kissed his partner. “I love you,” Bumblebee said as he took Starscream’s servos into his own and pressed them onto his stomach. “Thanks for telling Thundercracker to visit.”

                “Like you know how to take care of seekers,” Starscream said giving Bumblebee a second kiss before settling into the chair next to the exam table.

                “I don’t remember you complaining about how I handle seekers,” Bumblebee said with a grin.

                Starscream smiled back, “Cheeky.”

                “Learned from the best.” Bumblebee replied. “Primus these bitlets are going to be a handful if they’re anything like you.” The duo sat in silence for a while, allowing feelings of uneasiness to pass through their bond.

                Bumblebee reached out a hand that Starscream took to the best of his ability despite the handcuffs he had on.

                “If the lovebirds would stop for a minute,” a slightly frazzled Minerva interjected.

                “Sorry,” Bumblebee said lying down on the exam table.

                An hour and countless poking, prodding, and examining later and the medic finally returned her equipment to the table. “Want to see your sparklings?

                “Yes!” Both Starscream and Bumblebee yelled in unison.

                The medic then turned on a screen and projected one of the images they took during the exam onto it. “As you can see all three have frames forming. Since they are triplets we expected them to be smaller than normal sparklings, however I am concerned at this,” she said as she changed the angle of the image and zoomed in on the side of one of the sparkling’s wings. “While being physically small can be expected the trio’s armor isn’t forming properly. That wing should be about twice as thick as it currently is.”

                “Is she okay?” Bumblebee asked clasping a hand over his stomach as if to protect the sparkling.

                “For now. Unfortunately the supplements you’ve been taking are targeted at creating grounder protoforms. Normally when a grounder has a sparkling with another alt their partner’s transfluid provides enough of the altmode’s elements that can’t be found in the normal supplements.”

                “And I haven’t been able to sleep with my partner since I’ve been sparked up,” Bumblebee concluded. “Star, would any of the Decepticon medics be able to make supplements that actually work for seekers.”

                “None that are currently out of jail,” Starscream replied bitterly. “Any chance at us getting Hook out to deal with him?” Starscream asked Minerva.

                “No. And there is another issue in the fact as these sparklings grow-Frankly Bumblebee you’re a minibot so there isn’t a whole lot of space to carry three seeker sized sparklings. Your best chance at staying healthy from this point out will be staying on bed rest.” Minerva handed the official diagnosis to Bumblebee.

                “Stay on bed rest!” Bumblebee said. “I can’t stay on bedrest. I’m a single carrier who needs to run errands and put together a nursery and take care of my actual work.”

                “And that was why,” the nurse continued calmly, “I am putting in the recommendation that Starscream be placed on house arrest at least until the sparklings are born and your frame recovers. He’ll give the sparklings what they need and can help you on bedrest.”

                “Oh,” Bumlebee replied, stress instantly draining from his body, “Alright then.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will put the warning at the top of next chapter as well, but next chapter is the one with reference to previous abusive relationships, so like be aware and if you don't want to/can't read it I will tell you the plot relevant stuff without that in the comments gladly come tomorrow


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Second half of the chapter is where that brief mention of previous abusive relationships happen. So skip it if you want to avoid that. Also this is the first and last time it will get mentioned in this fic so like, you're in the clear after this

                Second in command of the Decepticons. Ruler of Cybertron. Pillow fluffer. Starscream could hardly believe the trajectory his life had taken. But Bumblebee had woken up with back struts in pain and unable to move, so he needed pillows to prop him up in their berth. The most annoying part had to be the fact the smaller mech was so nonchalant about it, saying he felt fine and Starscream didn’t need to help as if Starscream couldn’t feel Bumblebee’s pain through their bond.

                “Have you thought about names?” Starscream asked as he continued to fluff the pillows.

                “Sort of? Not a lot really, thinking about names makes it real and-“ Bumblebee paused.

                “It’s alright. I’m here now” Starscream said picking up Bumblebee slightly, putting the freshly fluffed pillow under his partner, and returning Bumblebee to the bed. “Unless you still want to.”

                “No!” Bumblebee yelled. “No, I just didn’t want to alone. You’re right, you’re here now. You’ll just need to knock me up again to stay once I’m off of bed rest.” He grinned at the thought and Starscream looked ravenously at his partner.

                “So demanding,” Starscream said. He joined Bumblebee on the bed, being hyper aware to avoid putting weight on Bumblebee’s stomach.

                “Calligrapha,” Bumblebee said.

                “What?” Starscream replied confused.

                “The sparks, one is a mech, one is a femme, one hasn’t decided yet. I want to name the femme Calligrapha.” Bumblebee said plainly.

                Starscream smiled, “I was thinking about the name Duskywing. Maybe for our undecided one then?”

                “I like that. What about Leafcutter for the mechling?” Bumblebee added.

                Starscream huffed slightly, “A name like that would get him laughed out of flight school. What about Amberwing?”

                “I was thinking we could send them to a STEM program actually. I thought you’d like that.” Bumblebee said.

                “What’s saying they can’t do both?” Starscream added, “We could sign them up for after school flight practice.”

                “You could teach them,” Bumblebee said.

                “Like they’re going to take the lock off my t-cog anytime soon.” He sighed slightly.

                Bumblebee reached up to cup Starscream’s face, “We’ll figure that out when the time comes.

Katydid?”

                “Goldensilk,” Starscream replied as he lowered himself onto his partner.

                “That works.” Bumblebee said breathlessly as Starscream ran a servo over his valve cover.

                “Calligrapha, Duskywing, and Goldensilk. Our three perfect little bitlets.” Starscream said with a smile.

                “We just have to help them be big and strong now,” Bumblebee said blushing

                “That I can handle,” Starscream replied before gingerly kissing his partner.

* * *

                Somehow Starscream always assumed the stories of how many friends Bumblebee had were exaggerated. How could a mech seriously lose an election when he was on good terms with seemingly every Autobot in existence? The longer Starscream was bonded to the Autobot, however, the longer he realized the stories weren’t nearly as exaggerated as he had believed.

                He could understand Jazz and Blurr visiting but when the congratulatory comm came in from Prowl Starscream was legitimately impressed. Doubly so after Arcee visited and was positively pleasant to Bumblebee. It was only a matter of time, then, that Starscream was going to have to deal with this. “Prime,” he replied coldly when he opened the door.

                “Starscream,” Optimus replied with equal vitriol. “Enjoying probation?”

                “House arrest,” Starscream corrected.

                “I’m sure it feels that way for Bumblebee.” Optimus said glaring at the seeker.

                _Are you up for any more visitors today Bee?_ Starscream asked his partner while projecting his utter desire for the answer to be no.

                _Who is it?_ Bumblebee asked back.

                _Optimus._ Starscream admitted, _Who just insulted me by the way._

                “Come on back Optimus!” Bumblebee yelled from the back of their apartment. _Be nice._

                _Tell him._ Starscream replied as he lead Optimus to their berthroom where Bumblebee was fiddling with a few blankets.

                “Nice to see you Optimus,” Bumblebee said with a smile that quickly turned into a grimace, “The sparklings are happy to see you too apparently.” He tapped his stomach slightly and Starscream could feel him trying to reason with the bitlets to be a little less active.

                Optimus pulled a chair next to the berth without asking which drove Starscream absolutely insane, but he did his best to suppress it since his partner was dealing with enough at the moment at the pedes of their creations. “How are they doing?”

                Bumblebee did his best to return to his prior smile, although it faltered as the trio continued to kick every inch of his internals. “Better now the sparklings are on track. Duskywing is still a bit behind where they should be, but the medic says that’s less them being unhealthy and more me being a bit small for this.”

                “I believe I asked how you are doing, not how the triplets are doing,” Optimus said. He glanced over to Starscream. “Want to talk alone for a bit?”

                Starscream glared at Optimus. “He is doing fine. The triplets are doing fine. He will be doing the exact same if I am in the room or not Prime.”

                “Actually I could use more of the prenatal energon. Please Star?” Bumblebee pouted at his conjunx and Starscream was ready to get mad before he heard _You’ll hear it all anyways, lets see where this goes. Don’t you want me to have a reason to yell at Optimus?_

                “Fine sweetspark,” Starscream said with an optic roll before leaving. _You’re lucky you’re cute._

                _That is ninety-percent of my strategy in life._ Bumblebee turned his attention to Optimus for a moment before adding _The other ten-percent is getting you to bring me some rust sticks with that energon._

Starscream couldn’t help but chuckle at that while he walked to the kitchenette and began mixing supplements into Bumblebee’s energon and stirring it with a rust stick before sitting down to enjoy spying with the help of his conjunx.

                “I’m really fine Optimus,” Bumblebee sighed and rubbed his stomach. “Isn’t the fact I’m alive enough to prove I’m fine?”

                “Not when you get sparked up by Starscream the deka-klik you are out of physical therapy.” Optimus sighed and removed his battle mask, “Once the sparklings are born the Autobots will happily take care of you Bumblebee. We could arrange for you to receive his transfluid medically, say the word and we can put him back in jail in a klik.” Optimus put a servo on Bumblebee’s shoulder, “It is ridiculous that the medic didn’t suggest that in the first place. I wish Ratchet was still here to deal with this.”

                Bumblebee shook his head, “Optimus, I get it. This seems sudden and yeah, it is in Starscream’s playbook to manipulate himself out of anything but it isn’t really.” Bumblebee put his servo on top of Optimus’s and shifted them down to his stomach where the bitlets were still using his gestation chamber like a jungle gym. “You’re their god-sire if you want by the way. Calligrapha, Duskywing,  Goldensilk this is your uncle Optimus.”

                Optimus smiled slightly at the shifting stomach underneath his servo before returning his attention to Bumblebee. “He killed Metalhawk during the first election. What happens if you decide to reenter politics? What happens if he does? You are more than just a tool for him to use Bumblebee. Come back to base.”

                Bumblebee sighed yet again, “Optimus, can you honestly tell me what happens when you die?”

                Optimus was taken by surprise by that but nonetheless stayed cool and answered, “Depending on the situation either nothing, a temporary rejoining to the allspark, or a portion of my consciousness is transferred to the matrix, but it is a portion I cannot directly control.”

                “With me it hurt. Then it was…empty. Then it wasn’t empty. I was back and it felt odd and I couldn’t interact with anyone. Then I could with Starscream, and he could with me.” Bumblebee sent a wave of warmth to Starscream over their bond before continuing. “I get it. To you my life was put on pause and when it was Star and I were political rivals and when play got pressed again I was suddenly in love with him but that isn’t how it was. I fell in love slowly over years and never thought I’d get to act on that Optimus. Of course I was going to once I came back.”

                “And what’s to say he wasn’t lying to you when you were dead? Starscream hasn’t been honest a day of his life Bumblebee. What makes you think this is any different?” Optimus shook his head.

                “He had nothing to gain from lying to someone who couldn’t say anything Optimus.” The sparklings had finally settled down slightly which made Bumblebee realize he really needed his oil changed, but that could wait until Optimus left. “And we’re sparkbonded now anyways, he can’t exactly lie to me now.”

                Optimus looked at the floor, “You and I both know that isn’t true.”

                “And we both know your relationship and mine are different even if we’re both involved with Decepticons. Star knows how it is to get hurt in a relationship. He wouldn’t do that to me. If he wanted me dead or hurt he wouldn’t have bonded with me.” Yet again he sent another wave of affection to Starscream and the mech responded by reentering the berthroom with energon, rust sticks, and a clean oil pan in tow.

                “I said I could wait until Optimus left,” Bumblebee objected as Starscream lifted him slightly to position the oil pan.

                “And we both know that is a great way to ruin your tank. Carrying is doing that enough as is.” Starscream kissed Bumblebee’s head as the smaller mech continued to protest.

                “Can you turn around Optimus?” Bumblebee asked as he did his best to train his own vision to a particularly interesting piece of lint on the floor.

                “Like he won’t see this during the emergence,” Starscream muttered as he wiped Bumblebee down and replaced his oil.

                “What?” Optimus asked before turning around.

                “Bumblebee has been wanting to invite you to the emergence, but he hasn’t because he’s afraid of what I’ll think.” Starscream kissed the helm of his partner again as he briefly left the room to dump the used oil. “Which doesn’t matter because it’s his emergence,” he yelled from the other room.

                Bumblebee smiled despite himself. “Optimus Star isn’t forcing me to do this. This isn’t so he gets out of jail, this is because I don’t want to do this alone. If you can accept that well-I was forged so you are the closest thing to a sire I’ve got so I want you in  their,” he poked his stomach, “lives. But you have to accept their sire first.”

                “Would you agree to see an Autobot therapist?” Optimus asked. “For my peace of processor.”

                “I’ll see a neutral therapist,” Bumblebee said plainly, “Is that a fair enough compromise for both of us?”

                “Fine,” Optimus agreed as Starscream once again reentered the berth room, this time sitting next to Bumblebee on the berth and absentmindedly drawing patterns on Bumblebee’s stomach with his servos.

                “Prime,” Starscream said despite himself as he reentered the room, “I’m not him. It might help to see a therapist yourself. Helped me.”

                Without any other words Optimus left the berthroom and then the apartment, and Starscream protectively curled next to his mate and showered him in kisses.


	14. Chapter 14

                The baby shower hadn’t been either of their idea. Bumblebee found the thought of Starscream carrying him from the berthroom to the living area to have the thing to be thoroughly embarrassing. Starscream knew it was another chance for Bumblebee’s friends to attempt to convince the mech to leave Starscream and raise the sparklings on base. However Optimus insisted and sometimes it simply was not worth fighting with the prime, so here they were.

                Bumblebee lay on the couch covered in several blankets and Starscream was confined to the couch as well as Bumblebee continued to nod off using one of Starscream’s wings as a pillow. That lead to countless awkward stares between the Autobots and Starscream punctuated with a few photos in which they attempted to show less open hatred to the seeker. “Bee,” Starscream said as he rubbed his partner’s spinal struts, “Are you alright?” 

                “Yeah,” Bumblebee replied with a yawn. He shifted slightly from Starscream’s wing to nuzzling into his side. “Thanks for coming everyone” he said as he finally addressed the group. :Sorry I’m a bit out of it. The triplets are all trying to talk to me at once.”

                “Wait it can talk already?” Windblade asked.

                Bumblebee looked at his stomach for a klik before replying, “No but I get feelings. Its like a spark bond without the words. Mostly I just feel the fact they’re all alive, sometimes I get the fact that they love me, but right now Calligrapha can’t get over Jazz’s face.” Bumblebee laughed, “She keeps sending it to me. I think he’s asking me if he can have a visor. Duskywing is hyper fixating on Windblade and I’m pretty sure they-she is telling me she wants to be a femme. Then Goldensilk doesn’t really have anything to say but he knows the others are getting my attention so he wants it too.”

                “Tell Calligrapha I’ll switch out that music player I got her for a visor if she agrees to not hold the fact she’s the coolest over her siblings heads,” Jazz said in response. He was smiling slightly and looked to Bumblebee, wordlessly asking for permission to touch his stomach. Bumblebee nodded and Calligrapha kicked in response to the new touch.

                _Thank you Calligrapha_ Bumblebee projected to his sparkling _Way to break the ice._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Upon deciding to do something else other than a follow up to this fic this chapter is not the end, and the begining of what was going to be the sequel has been added as a final chapter
> 
> Thank you all SO much. This is the first fic I’ve published on this account and you were all so nice and kind and gave me so much kudos. It honestly makes me regret the fact I took about five years off of making fanfics because I was too self-conscious but over 90 kudos totally helped take a bit of that edge off.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I said it was over, but the sequel idea got merged with something else, so I am going to throw the emergence here instead and call it a day

                Goldensilk began to whimper and Starscream carefully plucked him from him carrier’s relaxed grip. “Let him recharge,” Starscream whispered to the bitlet giving him a tickle under his chin. “Do you know how long he was up having you?” Goldensilk’s response was a hiccup and continued whimpering. “Too long,” Starscream said half to himself as he sat in a chair next to the hospital berth and did his best to rock his son.

                “Come on.” Starscream began to rock the chair slightly and grinned as the sparkling began to calm, “There you go. We can let your carrier recharge a little bit more and then we’ll have him feed you.” He ran a digit down his son’s backplate and Goldensilk burped up something half processed that Starscream could clean sometime that wasn’t now. Now was all about making sure one crying sparkling didn’t become three crying sparklings. Thankfully Calligrapha and Duskywing seemed utterly unperturbed by their brother’s movement as the duo continued to snooze in the cradling arms of their recharging carrier.

                Soon enough they would have to deal with the outside world again. The family had already been moved to a room without windows when several reporters attempted to get the first images of the first new sparklings in four million years. Which Starscream admittedly took advantage of by making sure all of the images they got featured Cybertron’s most wanted being an utterly doting sire. He figured either it would make them unwilling to use the images and it would keep the bitlets out of the news, or they would use the photos and he would get some much-needed positive publicity.  After all the sparklings wouldn’t stay that way forever and he had no intent of spending a deka-cycle of their lives in a prison cell.

                The yellow sparkling in his arms shifted once again, faceplates scrunching up. Starscream bounced him slightly in his arms and attempted to reach a cube of formula but before he managed Goldensilk was sobbing, stirring the still drugged Bumblebee from his rest.

                “Hand him over,” Bumblebee said shifting Calligrapha closer to her sister to make room for the mech. “Come on Goldie can’t you let me recharge?” Bumblebee asked before proffering a digit that the sparkling happily took, spreading digits from his other servo so white and green sparklings could feed before joining their brother’s protests.

                “I think we’ve had our last full recharges for at least deca-cycle Bee,” Starscream said.

                Bumblebee made a sound half way between a laugh and a groan. “Good thing you three are cute. You can get away with driving us nuts.” Goldensilk had already fallen back asleep before bothering to detach from Bumblebee’s digit, leading Starscream and Bumblebee to attempt to wiggle the mechling off so Bumblebee could get his servo back.

                “So when do you think the reporters will be back?” Bumblebee asked once he had returned to cradling the triplets.

                “Optimus threatened the lot of them, so I’m hoping at least a few cycles.” Starscream said before returning to his chair next to the berth. “Its sort of fun to watch his rage when it isn’t directed at me.”

                “Eh give him half a cycle and I’m sure he can find something to be mad at you about.” Bumblebee said before offlining his optics in home for a little more recharge.

                Starscream laughed and offlined his optics as well wondering if the triplets would let them rest. “We just need to make sure I’m holding a sparkling. He won’t yell at me if one of them might wake up.”

                “That’s the Starscream I fell in love with,” Bumblebee said wrapping his arms around his sparklings a little tighter. Whatever was to come could wait. Right now he just wanted to enjoy the feeling that was the EM fields of his family fading into recharge along with himself.


End file.
